The Supreme Court on Thursday said Facebook has the "power of not simply a hand but a fist, gloved as it may be", as these platforms employ business models having potential to polarise public debates. A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Dinesh Maheshwari and Hrishikesh Roy said: "These platforms are by no means altruistic in character but rather employ business models that can be highly privacy intrusive and have the potential to polarise public debates.

"Facebook has the power of not simply a hand but a fist, gloved as it may be." These platforms have become power centres themselves, having the ability to influence vast sections of opinions, it added. The bench observed that developments around the world reflect rising concerns across borders. "The concern is whether the liberal debate which these platforms profess to encourage has itself become a casualty," it said in its 188-page judgment. The bench held that for intermediaries to say that they can sidestep this criticism is a fallacy, as they are right in the centre of these debates.